When does Human Life begin, according to Scripture?

We’ve all heard the arguments for and against ending a pregnancy. I remember listening to lectures that an abortion was simply removing “tissue” from a woman, nothing more. We’ve heard the arguments that it is a woman’s right to choose whether to continue the pregnancy or end it. Many, many of those women who fought hard for that right to end pregnancies are now on the other side, by the way. I’m going to give you what Scripture has to say about this.

Let me begin by saying that it truly must be tough to find oneself pregnant in an unplanned series of events. Of course I know a woman doesn’t just “find herself pregnant”. In most cases (except rape and other circumstances), it involveddecisions to engage in sex, maybe in a moment of uncontrolled passion or even drunkenness or under the influence of drugs. And now more decisions have to be made. It is unfortunate that all too often the man involved is nowhere to be found, unless he too may be urging abortion. But all of us have to live with consequences of the life decisions we make. I do, you do, and we all do.

The huge difference is that this decision – to abort or not – involves the taking of life.

Even the 1973 landmark decision of Roe v. Wade – “Roe”, the woman on which it was based, who claimed to have been gang raped, now wishes she can recant. She says now there was no gang rape, but they wanted to have the best case for the pro-abortion folks. In Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court Justice Blackmum wrote the majority opinion allowing abortion in the first trimester. The original opinion allowed restrictions in the 2nd and 3rd trimester to protect what was called the “potential” life of whatever was growing in the pregnant woman.

“Jane Roe” was Norma McCorvey and she’s come out of the closet. She was painted at the time as a poor, destitute 21 year old pregnant woman who could not afford a legal California abortion or an illegal one in Texas. So her case was used as the litmus test. Many don’t realize that before this case every reached the Supreme Court, Norma had already had her baby and put her daughter up for adoption. Ironically, there’s a living woman in her early 40’s today who is alive because “Roe” – Norma Wade – gave birth to her, while millions upon millions of unborn babies have had their lives ended, all in the name of a woman’s right to privacy and to choose – after she became pregnant.

Since that 1973 decision, Norma McCorvey (“Roe”) had her baby, told Washington Times columnist Carl Rowan in 1987 that she gave false testimony. She admits now that she lied about the 1969 account of being raped by three men and a woman. She confesses now that never happened. She confessed in 1987 that she became pregnant by her boyfriend. Since Roe v. Wade, “Roe” – Norma McCorvey – has participated in numerous anti-abortion rallies. Had you heard or read about that? You can easily research this and confirm it. God bless her! She’s trying to help undo this horrible landmark case any way she can.

There was another case – a Sandra Bensing – who was also part of that landmark decision. She has never had an abortion. This was not her original intent. Both women now admit to having been manipulated by lawyers seeking to overturn state anti-abortion laws.

Since then, sex education in schools has proliferated. But has the number of unwanted teen pregnancies gone down or up? Has morality improved or gone south?

In the meantime, the debate of when human life begins continues to rage. Does human life begin at conception? Or is it – as many say – at first breath? Is it somewhere in the middle, when the fetus’ heart begins to beat?

True enough; an embryo hardly looks “human” in the first 30-40 days. But certainly, we know it’s not a carrot, or a dog or a flea. It is alive, it is growing, and it is not dead. And it’s inside its mother’s womb, a human mother. The embryo has a beating heart within a few weeks after conception. And by day 50, this new growth looks like a human being.

Today in some states, there are doctors performing abortions even into the 9th month! I’ve read testimony and watched videos of nurses who had to leave the abortion clinics because there were fully formed babies being removed and put into garbage cans, left to cry and wail until they died. But its mother has a right to privacy and can determine to end pregnancy, some say – and so the killing continues.

If you’ve never watched an abortion on YouTube, maybe once you should. It will break your heart as parts of the unborn baby are cut out or salted out – and the human life removed by the best available means. If you’re brave enough to learn about and watch a “partial birth abortion”, you’ll cry your eyes out and never think of abortion casually again. It’s called a “D&E Procedure” and I don’t even want to describe it on this website, it is so horrific.

WHAT the ETERNAL GOD SAYS

Scripture is very clear that Yahweh considers an embryo and/or a fetus to be equivalent to a human adult life!

Exodus 21:22-23 says, if someone hurts a pregnant woman and she miscarries as a result, the LIFE of the man who strikes her is required! That makes it clear that God considered the unborn fetus or embryo as valuable human life. Let’s read it:

Exodus 21:22-23 "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life.”

King David also considered his life before birth to be a human life, known and watched over by Yahweh himself.

Psalms 139:13-16 CJB

13 For YOU fashioned my inmost being, YOU knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I thank you because I am awesomely made, wonderfully;

Your works are wonders — I know this very well.

15 My bones were not hidden from You when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo,

but in Your book all my days were already written;

my days had been shaped before any of them existed.

Do we not remember how even the fetus of John the Baptist leaped for joy when he heard Mary’s voice (Luke 1:44)? Life in the womb clearly begins before birth.

Jeremiah 1:4-5

4 Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying:

5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;

Before you were born I sanctified you;

I ordained you a prophet to the nations." (see also Galatians 1:15)

Isaiah 49:1

"Listen, O coastlands, to Me, and take heed, you peoples from afar!

Yahweh has called Me from the womb;

From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.

Can there be any doubt how FATHER in heaven feels about His unborn children?

Those of you who have had an abortion: you can repent and ask Yahweh to help you carry His message of life going forward. He will forgive your sin, as He has forgiven my many sins. I certainly will not hold it against you if you repent. Who am I? So move on with the Father of life and know He loves you and will help you when you repent.

Men, if any of you have had your major role in getting a woman pregnant, don’t you dare bail on her now. Stand up and be there with her. She’s now got the burden of pregnancy and the choice is more hers than yours, but listen, be supportive, be there for her. And get help from a good pregnancy clinic – and I don’t mean Planned Parenthood. Go to one of the many pro-life pregnancy clinics. So go to your next step, get help. And please, if you’re considering abortion, remember there are also countless reports of long-term harm caused to many (not all) women who have had abortions. I’m referring to long-term physical as well as psychological and emotional trauma in many, many cases. You can easily research this yourself.

This website stands for life. Human life begins at conception. I personally support a women’s clinic in town calledOptions360. They do a marvelous work of helping pregnant women who need encouragement, help and physical and emotional support to get through their pregnancy. These are often unwed teenage girls. I realize there likely was fornication, I realize there was sin. But I also realize we all do stupid things we wish we could take back. I certainly have many regrets, so I support those who work hard to give hope to destitute and scared young women who want to carry on with the life in their womb. Would you join me in supporting pro-life pregnancy clinics in your area too? Remember our Master said that when we help the little ones who need help, we are doing it to Him. If we ignore people who need our help, we are ignoring our Savior (Matthew 25:31-46).

One of the reasons Yahweh sent Israel and Judah into captivity was because one of their many atrocities was their child sacrifice to Molech (Jeremiah 32:34-35). Is it possible, that what we are doing today is just the modern version of that? Are we not as a nation also sacrificing our babies on the altar of privacy, convenience and apathy as we have allowed 50 million fetuses to have their beating hearts stopped since 1973, in the USA alone?

We can’t become apathetic to this, my brothers and sisters in Messiah. We must sigh and cry for the abominations in the land (Ezekiel 9). Support the life clinics. Support pro-life candidates. Put your money where your mouth is and help these clinics do their job.

Come quickly, our King. Come quickly as we pray for you to stop this senseless killing of our unborn babies. Come quickly, Master.

About the author

Our focus has always been on the Rock (who is Christ) and on the Light of the world (who is Christ), and on our heavenly Abba, our Father. So this site is not about us but the website software requires some kind of bio. We felt led in 2004 to share Bible studies with others and to help people whom God was calling to come to their Messiah, and this website was born.

Philip was ordained in 1976 and has served sabbath-keeping congregations in Canada and the USA. He runs his own long-term care insurance agency along with his wife, Carole. Philip and Carole met in 1971 and have been happily married since 1975. God has blessed them with three children and a total of SEVEN grandchildren: 5 in FL and 2 in WA.

Philip lives now in Leesburg, FL so they can be closer to their four grandsons and 1 granddaughter and his second daughter and her husband. Philip and his website also support a group of 28 orphan children in Kenya.